hotmtlnovel Chapter 1542 Anyway, I'm not at a disadvantage
Chapter 1542 Anyway, I'm not at a disadvantage
As night fell and the city lights began to twinkle, the streets of Guangzhou, having shed the shadow of three years of pandemic, regained their former vibrancy. Qin Hao drove, with Liang Danning in the car, toward the silent Nightlife Bar.
This bar had only recently been approved to open, and from afar you could see a sign hanging at the entrance that read "Disinfection passed, open for business as usual." The air was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant, which mixed with the usual smell of smoke and alcohol in bars, creating a peculiar ambiance.
As soon as the car came to a stop, Shen Mo and Jin Linsheng could be seen standing at the bar entrance from a distance. Shen Mo was wearing a black casual suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a cheerful smile on his face; Jin Linsheng was wearing a dark jacket and was slightly overweight. He walked briskly towards Shen Mo.
"Haha, Mr. Qin, Ms. Liang, it's a pleasure to have you grace us with your presence today!" Shen Mo spoke first, his voice booming, "It's been about half a year since we last met, hasn't it?"
Qin Hao opened the car door and got out, shook hands firmly with Shen Mo, and replied with a smile: "There's no other way. These past few years have just been the boom years for the online industry, and Xingyao Yanxuan is at the right time to make a strong push. If we don't grit our teeth and give it our all, all our previous efforts will be in vain."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd coming and going at the bar entrance: "I didn't expect your place to be so popular so soon after opening."
Shen Mo sighed, his tone full of emotion: "In the past few years, the online industry has been booming, while our physical industry has been experiencing a real downturn. I know many physical business owners who either ran away to avoid debts or went bankrupt and liquidated. Very few of them survived. If it weren't for your help, Mr. Qin, in clearing my inventory and giving me advice, I would probably have gone bankrupt and closed down by now. I wouldn't have had the chance to reopen."
"Old Shen, we haven't even started drinking yet, and you've already said your thanks. Are you trying to avoid drinking later?" Qin Hao patted Shen Mo on the shoulder, his tone teasing.
Shen Mo immediately waved his hand and burst into laughter: "Haha, President Qin, you've wronged me! I, Shen Mo, have only two great hobbies in my life: one is drinking, and the other is making friends. When have I ever avoided drinking? Tonight, let's drink until we drop!"
Amidst the laughter and conversation, Qin Hao turned to Liang Danning and introduced her, saying, "Danning, these two are President Shen Mo and President Jin Linsheng, both old friends of mine."
Liang Danning smiled gently and nodded to the two men, saying, "President Shen, President Jin, hello."
"Miss Liang is so beautiful and elegant. Mr. Qin is so lucky!" Shen Mo praised her immediately. Jin Linsheng echoed her sentiments. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went into the bar together.
As soon as you enter, deafening music hits you. Perhaps because of the long-awaited pandemic in recent years, the bar is unusually crowded tonight. The dance floor is packed with dancing figures, and many are even wearing N95 masks, dancing wildly to the music under the lights, their faces filled with unbridled joy. The smell of disinfectant in the air has been somewhat diluted by the strong smell of alcohol, perfume, and sweat, but it can still be faintly detected.
The waiter led the four of them upstairs, through the crowded throng, and into the private room. The room was luxuriously decorated, with leather sofas and crystal chandeliers, but a faint smell of disinfectant still lingered in the air.
Shen Mo said somewhat helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. All public places must be thoroughly disinfected before opening for business. Even if we turn the air conditioner to its maximum speed, we can't completely eliminate the smell. I apologize to President Qin and Miss Liang for making this a laughing stock."
"Actually, it's not so bad." Liang Danning sat down with a smile, her tone gentle: "We've been dealing with disinfectant every day for the past few years, so we're already familiar with the smell. In fact, it makes us feel quite at ease."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mo laughed and said, "That's true! When the epidemic was at its worst, disinfectant was a scarce commodity, and you couldn't necessarily buy it even if you had money."
After the group was seated, the waiter quickly brought out drinks and snacks. Qin Hao, Shen Mo, and Jin Linsheng naturally started chatting, their topics being nothing more than trade information, financial news, and industry trends—all things that business people care about. Liang Danning sat to the side, unable to join the conversation, and could only silently take out her phone, scrolling through short videos, occasionally glancing up to listen to their chatter with a faint smile on her face.
Qin Hao noticed that Liang Danning seemed a little bored, so he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Why don't you go downstairs and play for a while?"
Liang Danning shook her head and said softly, "Let's not. There are too many people and it's too noisy down there."
Qin Hao thought for a moment and then said, "Then I'll call Xu Yuntian and ask Zhao Mei to come and keep you company. You two can talk to each other and not be so bored."
"Isn't it unnecessary?" Liang Danning hesitated. "She's probably at work right now. Let's not disturb her work."
"Zhao Mei's job is just to visit stores," Qin Hao smiled nonchalantly. "Which store she visits doesn't matter. She can come over and chat with you, and also get a free drink. She'll definitely be happy to do that."
Liang Danning thought about it and felt it made sense, so she didn't object anymore. Qin Hao immediately took out his phone and dialed Xu Yuntian's number.
After the call connected, Qin Hao said a few words, and Xu Yuntian immediately agreed, speaking with utmost respect, repeatedly saying, "I'll arrange it right away."
Over the past three years, Ghost's offline channels have been severely impacted by the pandemic, almost completely wiped out, with physical stores closing down and sales plummeting. In order to avoid the performance becoming too bad, Ghost China CEO, Ralph White, had no choice but to agree to move the products to online sales.
As a leading platform for live-streaming e-commerce, Xingyao Yanxuan naturally became their first choice for cooperation.
Shen Mo was already on the verge of bankruptcy due to the closure of his bar. Even though he was unwilling, he was powerless to stop Guster from bypassing him as a primary distributor and going directly to consumers.
Over the past three years, Ghost's alcoholic beverage sales through Star Shine Selection accounted for 63% of its total sales in China. This figure shocked executives like White and others, making them fully realize the terrifying sales power of live-streaming e-commerce. Even Qi Youlan, the Vice President of Human Resources, once proposed a plan to cut half of the sales department's positions and directly hand over all products to Star Shine Selection for sales.
Although the radical plan ultimately failed to pass, Qin Hao, as the largest online sales channel for Guster, wielded far more influence than before, and was someone Xu Yuntian, a mere sales manager, dared not offend. Let alone simply asking Zhao Mei to come and accompany Liang Danning, even with more outrageous demands, Xu Yuntian would have no choice but to obediently comply.
Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes later, Zhao Mei arrived at the bar, panting, still wearing the business suit of a sales manager, clearly having come directly from her store visit.
When Zhao Mei saw Liang Danning sitting at the bar playing on her phone, she immediately realized that she had been betrayed by Xu Yuntian again.
She sat down next to Liang Danning, rolling her eyes in annoyance: "This must be another one of Qin Hao's crazy ideas, right? I was wondering why Xu Yuntian suddenly asked me to come to this store. Turns out he called me here to be your companion!"
Liang Danning quickly put down her phone, took Zhao Mei's hand, and comforted her, "Actually, he just thought I was too bored..."
"Stop making excuses for him!" Zhao Mei interrupted her, her tone tinged with reproach. "This guy is deliberately messing with me. It was the same at your house at noon, when he actually asked Xu Yuntian to kick me out. This time, even if the King of Heaven himself comes, I'll have to give him a good talking to!"
As she spoke, Zhao Mei stood up, making a move to confront Qin Hao. Just as she stepped onto the stairs leading to the sofa, Liang Danning suddenly spoke up, saying, "He said he'd introduce you to a few big clients."
Zhao Mei stopped abruptly, turning to look at Liang Danning with a conflicted expression. Torn between anger at being tricked by Qin Hao and the allure of a major client, she weighed her options for a few seconds before finally turning back and sitting back down at the bar, saying sullenly, "I'll let him off this time for your sake."
Liang Danning couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Zhao Mei glared at her and asked, "What's so funny?"
“It’s nothing…” Liang Danning smiled and shook her head: “It’s just that I suddenly felt like he knows you quite well.”
Zhao Mei's face flushed instantly, and she said with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, "You ungrateful bastard! We were supposed to be best friends for life, and you actually helped an outsider bully me!"
Liang Danning quickly grabbed her arm and said coquettishly, "Okay, okay, I was wrong, alright?"
"That's more like it," Zhao Mei snorted.
At the bar, the bartender was skillfully mixing cocktails, the colorful liquids clattering in the shaker. Zhao Mei found an empty seat and said to the bartender, "Two mojitos, less ice."
As the bartender turned to prepare the drinks, Zhao Mei suddenly turned to Liang Danning and asked seriously, "Seriously, you and Qin Hao have been dating for so many years, haven't you ever thought about getting married? You two are not getting any younger, you can't keep going on like this forever, can you?"
Liang Danning's smile faded slightly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and said softly, "How could I not have thought about it? It's just that sometimes I feel the gap between us is a bit too big. Just now in the private room, all those topics about trade, exchange rates, and investment that he talked about with Shen Mo and Jin Linsheng were completely incomprehensible to me. Although he always accommodates me when we're together, talking about some superficial topics that interest me, sometimes I can't help but wonder if he secretly thinks I'm uncultured and can't keep up with him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mei quickly comforted him, "You're worrying too much! What kind of person is Qin Hao? If he disliked you, he would have broken up with you long ago. How could he have been with you for so many years? The important thing in a relationship is mutual affection and tolerance, not that you have to be in sync in everything. You take care of being gentle and considerate, and he takes care of earning money to support the family. Isn't that great?"
"But what about after we get married?" Liang Danning's eyes were filled with confusion. "Will I have to stay at home as a full-time housewife all day, constantly watching out for his mistress? Many of the wives of my big clients seem glamorous on the surface, but they actually live very cautiously. The moment a young and pretty girl gets close to their husbands, they immediately start scanning like radar 24/7. It's exhausting. And their husbands don't even have as much money as Qin Hao. I don't want to end up like them."
She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the revelers on the dance floor, and said softly, "Rather than this, I'd rather maintain the status quo. Being a girlfriend is great; I don't have to bear the burdens of marriage or deal with those complicated family relationships. If I find out he's cheating, I can break up with him immediately, turn around and leave without leaving any room for negotiation."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Mei interrupted him, saying, "What a load of rubbish! Your idea is absolutely stupid!"
Zhao Mei's tone was filled with exasperation: "You've been with him for so many years, wasting your youth on him. If you don't end up getting married, you won't get anything. Wouldn't that be a huge loss? Even if you get married and then divorce, you can at least get a share of the property, which can be considered compensation for all the years you've given."
“But what’s the point of that?” Liang Danning shook her head. “It will end up as a mess, with lawsuits and court battles, tearing each other apart in a very ugly way. I don’t want it to become like that.”
Zhao Mei looked at her with a "you're hopeless" expression: "My dear sister, how old are you this year? Thirty! You still think you're a girl in your early twenties, do you think love can put food on the table? What's the most precious thing for a woman? It's her youth! You've given him the most precious years of your life, do you know that thirty is already considered an old maid, the kind of woman who gets rejected at the matchmaking corner in Tianhe Park!"
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her voice rising several decibels: "If you ask me, you should take him to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow and get the marriage certificate! Don't think about so many other things, just settle your status first. Even if you really can't make it work in the future, the property you get in the divorce settlement will be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Consider it compensation for your lost youth."
Liang Danning smiled and shook her head: "A woman's youth is youth, but a man's youth isn't? Besides, I haven't suffered with him all these years; on the contrary, I've enjoyed a lot of preferential treatment. If it weren't for him, would Xu Yuntian be so polite to me?"
She paused, her eyes sparkling with a bright smile: "Besides, if we really break up because he cheated on me, I can always stand on the moral high ground and look down on him. Whenever he sees me in the future, he'll have to be inferior to me. Doesn't that sound pretty good?"
"Enjoy my foot!" Zhao Mei slammed her hand on the table in anger. "You're completely out of your mind! One step forward and you're a billionaire heiress, the life so many people dream of, and all you want is to be her girlfriend!"
She pointed towards the dance floor, "If you don't believe me, go ask those girls what they would choose. 100 out of 100 would choose to be a rich wife. Nobody's as stupid as you!"
Liang Danning smiled, her eyes full of certainty: "But Qin Hao won't like them."
Zhao Mei was completely exasperated. She leaned back in her chair helplessly and sighed, "Forget it, I can't reason with you."
Liang Danning smiled and waved to the bartender, ordering two freshly made mojitos: "Okay, I know you're doing this for my sake, I understand. But I really think this kind of life is great, free and stress-free, I'm very content. Even if we don't end up together, at least I've slept with him for so many years. I'm not at a loss."
She pushed a mojito in front of Zhao Mei and raised her own glass: "Come on, let's not talk about this anymore, let's drink. It's rare to be so happy today, let's drink until we drop."
"Sigh, I really don't know if you'll regret this later," Zhao Mei said helplessly, picking up her cup and gently clinking it against hers.
Liang Danning simply smiled without saying a word, took a sip of her drink, and felt the cool minty flavor spread in her mouth, just like her mood at that moment—calm and content.
……
The next morning, Liang Danning was awakened by a series of urgent phone rings. She groggily reached for her phone, but couldn't find it. Instead, she discovered the pillow beside her was empty. Instinctively, she tried to push Qin Hao away, but only touched the cold sheets.
Liang Danning slowly opened her eyes, rubbing them sleepily, and realized that she was now alone in bed. Just then, she heard the sound of the toilet flushing from the bathroom; Qin Hao was clearly inside.
"Honey, your phone is ringing." Liang Danning called out towards the bathroom, her voice still hoarse from just waking up.
"Oh, could you answer that for me? I'll be right out," came Qin Hao's reply from the restroom.
Without giving it much thought, Liang Danning reached for Qin Hao's phone on the bedside table and groggily pressed the answer button. Before she could even speak, a strange man's voice came from the other end of the line: "Ms. Qin, hello, I'm the assistant to Mr. Li, who contacted you before. I've already handed the villa keys over to the property management. Whenever you're free to come and view the property, just mention your name to pick up the keys."
Villa? Keys? Liang Danning was completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on. Just then, Qin Hao came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bath towel, his hair still wet. Liang Danning quickly handed him her phone, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Qin Hao took the phone and said into the other end, "Hello, okay, I understand." Then he hung up.
"It's all your fault for staying up too late last night," Qin Hao said, sitting down on the bedside and pinching Liang Danning's cheek. He pretended to complain, "We made an appointment with Boss Li to view the house at three o'clock this afternoon, but we overslept and have to postpone it to five o'clock."
Faced with Qin Hao's attempt to shift the blame, Liang Danning instantly sobered up. She reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Qin Hao's side, giving it a light twist, her eyes filled with threat: "I'll give you one chance to rephrase your words. Say it again! Who was bothering me last night?"
With his weakness in the other party's hands, Qin Hao immediately backed down and quickly raised his hands in surrender.
Liang Danning couldn't help but laugh at his words, and she loosened her grip, gently pushing him away: "You're smart to know what's good for you."
After being woken up, Liang Danning couldn't fall back asleep. She picked up her phone and checked the time; it was already 3 PM. She was quite surprised: "Oh my god, we slept for so long!"
Qin Hao smiled and put his arm around her: "It's because I was too tired last night, so I finally got to rest properly."
The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh. Liang Danning struggled to get out of bed and said, "Then let's get up and get ready quickly."
"Okay." Qin Hao nodded and stood up as well.
After a quick wash, Qin Hao ordered a set meal for two.
The takeout arrived shortly after. The two sat down at the table, eating and chatting. Liang Danning finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "When did you decide to buy a villa? How come I didn't know?"
"Oh." Qin Hao took a sip of soy milk and said casually, "It was last night in Shen Mo's bar private room when I was chatting with him and Jin Linsheng. They mentioned a friend of theirs, Boss Li, who's a bit short on cash lately and urgently needs money. He has a villa he's willing to sell at a low price. I thought the location was pretty good, so I left my contact information and was planning to take you to see it today. If you like it, we can just buy it."
Liang Danning blinked, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "If you're buying a house, isn't it enough if you like it yourself? Why do you need to ask for my opinion?"
Qin Hao put down the fried dough stick in his hand and reached out to ruffle her hair: "We plan to live in this villa together in the future. You will definitely spend more time at home than me, so of course you have to like it. If you are not comfortable living here, there is no point in buying it."
Liang Danning thought about it and felt that it made sense, so she smiled sweetly and said, "Then I'll reluctantly give you some advice?"
"Great, I couldn't be happier." Qin Hao nodded with a smile.
After finishing their takeout, the two tidied up a bit, changed into clean clothes, and drove towards the residential complex where the villa was located. The villa was situated in an upscale lakeside community in downtown Guangzhou, with a tranquil environment and pleasant air.
At 5 p.m., Qin Hao and Liang Danning arrived at the entrance of the residential compound on time. Qin Hao gave his name, collected the keys from the property management, and then led Liang Danning into the compound.
The community is shaded by green trees, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers; the landscaping is quite well done.
The two took the property management's eco-friendly vehicle and quickly found the villa. It was a detached villa with three floors, a separate yard, and a garage.
Qin Hao opened the door and led Liang Danning inside. The villa's interior was exquisitely decorated, spacious and bright, fully furnished with all necessary appliances—clearly a high-end property ready for immediate move-in.
The two toured the rooms one by one, from the living room, dining room, and kitchen to the bedroom, study, and bathroom; each room impressed Liang Danning. Finally, Qin Hao led her to the rooftop terrace on the third floor.
Standing on the terrace, a gentle breeze blows in my face, carrying the unique moist scent of the lakeside. Before me lies a shimmering lake, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. In the distance, rolling green hills rise, creating a breathtaking scene.
Standing on the terrace, Liang Danning gazed at the beautiful view before her, her eyes filled with admiration and longing. She couldn't help but ask softly, "How much does this villa cost? It looks really nice."
Seeing Liang Danning's delighted expression, Qin Hao knew she truly loved the house. Without a word, he took out his phone and dialed Mr. Li's number, his tone crisp and decisive: "Mr. Li, I've seen your lakeside villa, it's very nice, I'm very satisfied. Come to my company tomorrow to sign the contract, and I'll pay the full amount in one lump sum."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Li, the owner on the other end of the phone, readily agreed happily: "Okay, okay, Mr. Qin, thank you so much! I'll come over first thing tomorrow morning to sign the contract!"
After hanging up the phone, Qin Hao walked to Liang Danning's side, gently hugged her from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered, "Do you like it? This will be our home from now on."
Liang Danning clicked her tongue: "The villas here must be expensive, right?"
"Isn't the purpose of making money to spend it? Otherwise, we'd become slaves to money."
"Since I don't have to spend any money, I can just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. How about I become a lazy, good-for-nothing parasite?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll kick you out?"
"Ugh, you're disgusting."
Two days later, Zhao Mei was sound asleep when she was suddenly woken up by the ringing of the telephone.
"Hello, who is it?"
"Zhao Mei, I'm moving today, remember to come and help me with the housewarming party."
Zhao Mei didn't think much of it, assuming Liang Danning had simply moved to a different apartment: "Oh, okay, send your location to WeChat." (End of Chapter)